Guinea Pigs/Guinea Pig in pain while urinating

QuestionHello!
Our 3-year-old guinea pig has recently been squeaking in pain while urinating and/or passing fecal matter. She has been evaluated twice by an exotic-pet vet who has not only taken urine and fecal samples but has also given her an ultrasound to rule out stones. All tests came back negative. There is a trace amount of blood in the urine, but, again, her tests came back negative for a UTI or stones. He has given her a pain killer in the interim, and I am supposed to followup with him tomorrow regarding the trial of pain killers. He suggested it may be musculoskeletal when she squats to go to the bathroom. She eats, drinks and still purrs and seems to, otherwise, be in good spirits. I am out of answers and so is he. Any suggestions? Thank you in advance!

I have to say my first impression was also stones, but if they've done an ultrasound that rules that out. Trace blood in the urine indicates either an infection or just what your vet has already ruled out..... stones.

Three years of age is not an old pig. My experience has been that it's the older ones who seem to develop the stones. That would seem to lead to your vet's inclination that this may indeed be musculoskeletal. Obviously the vet has dug deep and hard to find an answer so it's doubtful that he's overlooked anything.

I've attached a picture of a stone that was removed from an old sow of mine at necropsy. It was wedged in so tight right at the opening of the urethra that it was impossible to remove. This is the largest stone I've ever seen and I can't imagine how much suffering she did just feeing that rock move as far as it did.

The only other consideration is whether or not she passed tiny stones before the ultrasound was done. That would certainly be one answer as to why they didn't see any. Bladder stones are as much a mystery in humans as it is in animals. The general theory, and it's only a theory, is that it may be caused by the water we drink. If it is heavily alkaline the urine would also be alkaline creating the right conditions for stones.

Even the smallest of stones can cause pain. A tiny piece of sand or foreign body causes pain in the eye, so for a jagged shred of calcified stone to try to pass through the very smallest of openings in the urethra it's understandably painful.

I think the pain management is the best thing. At least it might make her more comfortable. And if it is musculoskeletal it will ease that too. In the meantime you might start using distilled water for her to drink. Don't confuse distilled with bottled water as distilled has no minerals in it at all, while bottled drinking water has some but not all of the chemicals removed, primarily chlorine.

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